


Weasay Abbey

by WolfRune20855



Series: Spencer/Darcy Stories [2]
Category: Criminal Minds (US TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Absolutely no research other than the show, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Historical, Coulson's their uncle, Darcy is stubborn, Don't worry Penelope and Derek are married, Downton Abbey AU, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Erik's their father, F/M, Gen, Jane and Darcy are sisters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-07
Updated: 2019-05-07
Packaged: 2020-01-12 13:20:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,637
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18447404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WolfRune20855/pseuds/WolfRune20855
Summary: After the heir to Weasay Abbey dies in the tragic sinking of the Titanic, Spencer Reid finds himself in the unfamiliar world of lords, ladies, scandals, schemes, and one Lady Darcy Lewis Selvig who despises him on principle.





	Weasay Abbey

**Author's Note:**

> It's finals week, and what do I do? Start a new fanfic. Yep. That's me in a nutshell.
> 
> What you are about to read is a Spencer/Darcy AU that is inspired by Downton Abbey. While there are several shared characteristics, the story will not 'stick to the script.' I have no idea how long or short it is going to be or how frequently it will be updated. What I can tell you is that I am currently very excited for this project and I hope that you are too.
> 
> Enjoy!

Weasay Abbey was supposed to go to Ian.

Ian Boothby was the third cousin of Darcy and her older sister, Jane. He was a quiet boy, who spent most of his time with a confused expression on his face. As children, he constantly followed Darcy around, eager to do anything she asked him to. They as close as two third cousins could possibly be.

From the time that they were small, everyone assumed that Darcy would marry Ian. She supposed that her father, Erik, should have attempted to form a connection between Ian and Jane, as she was the eldest, but he never tried. From the moment Ian first stepped foot in Weasay Abbey, he had been enamored with Lady Darcy Lewis Selvig. Erik probably thought that a marriage between his heir and his second daughter was just as good as one with his first.

In all honesty, Darcy didn’t mind the idea at all. She wouldn’t have to worry about searching for a husband when she was introduced to society. She had Ian for that. Ian was a sure thing. He wasn’t the love of her life, but he was a friend, and he would do just fine.

And then he had to run off to America and die on the Titanic. The unsinkable ship. _Hah! Yeah, right._ He had to die—he had to leave her with an uncertain future—and for that, Darcy resented him, even as she cried her eyes out.

Jane sighed and patted her on the shoulder. She had cried, but not like Darcy. Hers were sorrowful tears; Darcy’s were angry. Frustrated. “There, there,” she said.

She lifted a letter that had been delivered to her that morning and read over it again. Darcy frowned at the hint of a smile that graced Jane’s lips. _How could she be happy in a time like this?_ Their future was uncertain. The next heir of Weasay was who-knows-from-who-knows-where. They’d lost Ian. _She’d_ lost Ian.

“Good news?” Darcy didn’t bother to hide the bitterness in her tone. “I don’t suppose you know who’s decided to steal Papa’s title, do you?”

Jane folded the letter. “No, Darcy. I do not. It’s just--I received a letter from Lord Odinson this morning expressing his sympathies for our loss.”

The thought of the diplomat who’d grown so enamored with Jane the last season immediately writing to see if she was alright almost brought a smile to Darcy’s face. At least Jane would be safe from the possibility of exile. She had been sure that Lord Thor Odinson was going to ask their father for Jane’s hand before Ian died. Now, such a thing would be seen as inappropriate. They were in mourning after all.

“I’m happy for the two of you.” Darcy tried to muster a smile. She failed.

“That means a lot to me, Darcy.” Jane reached out, taking Darcy’s hand in her own. “Especially considering…”

Darcy swallowed. “I know.” No matter how much she wished it, Ian was never coming back. The heir to Weasay was dead. Forever. “Do you know who's next in line?” Their father was much more likely to discuss his business affairs with Jane than Darcy.

Jane shook her head. “He got a letter from Uncle Phil yesterday, but they’re still trying to locate him.”

“But that means that they know who he is.” Darcy hadn’t met the man--she knew nothing about him--but she already hated him on principle. Lord of Weasay Abbey was supposed to be Ian’s title.

“Uncle Phil has a friend of his looking into it.”

“And by a friend you mean-”

Jane nodded her head. “Miss Romanoff.”

Miss Natasha Romanoff was a good friend of their late mother’s brother, Phil Coulson. She was a mysterious Russian woman with a deadly glint in her eye. When their uncle first met her, he intended to marry her, but he ended up marrying his close friend Melinda instead. That in and of itself had caused quite the scandal amongst the English elites. Add to that the fact that Darcy’s uncle had adopted three orphans off of the street and most of proper society avoided them. Miss Natasha Romanoff did not.

Their uncle kept some rather peculiar company.

“Maybe he won’t be horrible,” Jane suggested. “Perhaps, he’s a happily married lawyer who wants nothing to do with Weasay.”

Darcy frowned. Even if the next heir wanted nothing to do with Weasay, he would have to accept his role. A happily married lawyer would cause problems, especially if he brought a wife with him. Darcy would probably be facing problems regardless, though. Her father would try to hoist her off to a bachelor heir in order to keep the title in the family. But this man would not be another Ian.

Thirteen years after losing her mother and infant brother, she’d lost her cousin--her friend. She’d been four when her mother died. She didn’t remember her the same way that Jane did, so she hadn’t truly mourned her. She had simply grown up in a motherless void--one where she read novels about orphans and identified with their plight because she felt their pain. Darcy’s mother had been easily replaced by fantasies.

Nothing could replace Ian.

“Do you think that Lord Odinson will wait?” Jane asked.

“He will if he’s smart,” Darcy answered. Any man who couldn’t wait a year for her sister to emerge from mourning was a fool. She didn’t take Lord Odinson for one of those. She just hoped that he proved her right--for Jane’s sake.

“I suppose you’re right.”

“I usually am.”

With a hum, Jane turned to stare out of the window, her gaze thoughtful as she watched their father stand in the middle of the gardens. “Do you think he’ll ever recover from losing Ian?”

The man in the gardens was a shadow of his former self. Darcy remembered very little from before her mother died, but the servants spoke of how lively Lord Erik Selvig once was. He had thrown the greatest balls in the county and invited everyone to join. There was music, and laughter, and a woman who loved the stars as much as he did.

Darcy never met that man. She would have liked to though. She would have liked to meet him very much. “I don’t know,” she answers honestly. “We’ll just have to wait and see.”

* * *

 

Spencer noticed the woman following him halfway down Downing Street. She stuck close to the shadows and would have been easy to miss if Derek hadn’t mentioned it to him. His companion had subtly gestured to the red-haired woman wandering behind them. She was well dressed, but her clothes were not extravagant. She did an unusually good job of blending in with the crowd.

“Do you know her?” Derek asked.

Spencer shook his head. “I haven’t the faintest idea who she could possibly be.” He would remember her if he had met her. For Spencer, it was impossible to forget a face--a gift that sometimes felt like a curse. He turned to Derek. “Why do you think she’s following us?”

“Perhaps she wants our money,” Derek suggested, subtly glancing at the woman. He frowned. “That’s odd. She was right behind us a moment ago.”

“She’s gone?” With no subtlety, Spencer turned around. He searched the crowd for the woman, but she was nowhere to be seen. “Where did she go?”

Derek shrugged. “Does it matter?”

“Not really.”

In the scheme of things, Spencer supposed that the woman following him didn’t matter. She was probably a thief. Briefly, he considered the possibility that she was a foreign spy sent to gather information on Spencer’s work, but he quickly dismissed the idea. A spy would break into his house--not follow him.

In what seemed like no time at all, they arrived in front of Derek’s house. “Do you have plans for tonight?” Spencer asked his friends.

Derek grinned mischievously. “It’s my anniversary, Spencer. Of course, I have plans.” A year ago to the day, Derek Morgan married the love of his life, Penelope Garcia, despite several people trying to stop them.

“Give Penelope my best,” Spencer said.

“I will.” Derek disappeared into his house and Spencer turned back to head to his office, allowing himself to get lost in his thoughts.

While Spencer was happy for Derek, he had greatly missed his friend’s company in the year since his marriage. With Derek and Penelope married, Spencer was now the only bachelor in his small group of agents for his majesty (if one excluded David Rossi because of his permanent status as a bachelor). Lord Aaron Hotchner’s wife had died several years ago, and he’d remarried to Duchess Emily Prentiss. Jennifer was married to Mr. William LaMontagne. There had been a time when Spencer had thought that something might happen between himself and Jenifer, but nothing ever came from it. Before he could summon the courage to court her, she was married.

It was difficult to be the only one left--to watch his friends move on without him. Once, it had seemed like they were all sharing one big adventure. That wasn’t the truth anymore.

“Dr. Spencer Ried.” Spencer halted as the red-haired woman stepped out in front of him. The smile on her face could only be described as predatory. “You are quite the peculiarity.”

Spencer stiffened. He’d been called peculiar before. It was an insult disguised as something less than an insult but less than a compliment. People called the weather peculiar when it was temperamental--they called Spencer peculiar when they didn’t understand him. The way that the woman before him used the word seemed to suggest something else entirely. What--Spencer had no idea.

“I don’t believe we’ve met,” Spencer said.

The woman grinned. “No. We haven’t.” She didn’t offer an introduction. Instead, she took a moment to study Spencer, judging his appearance from his hat down to his shoes. “Have you ever been to Ripon?”

Spencer shook his head. His short excursions out of London had always involved catching murderers. Ripon was a peaceful country county. There were never any murderers in Ripon. “I can’t say that I have.”

“That’s a shame,” said the woman. “It’s nice this time of year.”

“I’m sure that it is.”

“You should visit,” she suggested. “Perhaps take a tour of Weasay Abbey while you're at it.”

Spencer frowned. “I don’t mean to be rude-”

“But you will be anyways.”

“Why are you talking to me? Is it money that you want? I’m afraid that I am not as wealthy as some seem to think. You will be greatly disappointed.”

“My dear Dr. Reid,” The woman tsked. “You are far wealthier than you know.”

“I’m really not.”

She laughed at his comment. Spencer couldn’t tell if it was genuine or false. “I do not envy you. You have your work cut out for you.” Then, as suddenly as she appeared, she left, dipping into a nearby alleyway. Spencer chased after her, but she was gone--vanished into thin air. She left only a mystery behind.

_You are far wealthier than you know._

What did she mean by that?

Five months later, he found out.

* * *

 

It wasn’t that Darcy hated her cousins, it was just that the three of them were so close that they always seemed to be speaking their own language. Three years her junior, Daisy was the closest to Darcy’s age at fifteen, but even she would rather explore the gardens with Leo or gossip with Jemma than spend time with Darcy. Spending the evening with two twelve-year-old geniuses and their fast-talking sister was not Darcy’s idea of a good time--even if it was Jane’s.

The Coulsons loved Jane, especially Leo and Jemma. She understood their scientific brains and could easily converse with them. They adored her, and Darcy understood why. Jane was easy to adore. Her--not so much.

So, it surprised her when Daisy elected to stay behind when Jemma and Leo begged Jane to show them the laboratory. “I’ll be fine if you want to follow them,” Darcy offered.

Daisy shook her head. “I love them--really, I do--but Jemma wouldn’t stop talking about some biological book she read on the train ride over, and the last thing that I want to do is listen to her discuss it again.”

“Of course.” Darcy nodded. She waited for Daisy to say something--to fill the silence that formed between them--but neither of the cousins moved. They were both the most talkable of their families, yet they couldn’t find something to talk to each other about.

“So,” Daisy began, “when are you being introduced into society?”

Darcy shrugged. “I honestly have no idea. I should be formally introduced this spring, but I’m sure Papa has forgotten about it. He hasn’t been the same…” _Since Ian died._ She swallowed her words, still hoping that he’d sweep through the doors and declare it all a horrible prank. That would save them so much trouble. It would save _her_ the trouble of actually having to search for a decent match when she was introduced.

She could be the Lady of Weasay without ever having to worry about love.

“That makes sense,” Daisy said. “I’m sure Aunt Nat would be willing to have you stay with her if your father doesn’t want to go to London for the season. She has the most beautiful house in London, with all of these old Russian antiques.”

Speaking of Natasha Romanoff… “She was helping your father in the search for the heir, right?” Darcy asked.

Daisy nodded. Leaning over her  teacup, she whispered, “I’m not supposed to tell you this, but they found him.”

“Who is he?”

“His name is Spencer Reid,” Daisy answered, “They had to trace back six generations just to find him. Apparently, your father’s family does not have many men in it.”

Despite herself, Darcy asked, “What’s he like?”

Daisy shrugged. “I don’t know. Aunt Nat knows said that he’s a lawyer of some sort--unmarried, of course.”

 _A lawyer._ Right. Just as Jane had predicted.

“Are you going to pursue him?”

“What?” Darcy almost dropped her teacup.

“Well, it would make sense to want to keep Weasay in the family,” Daisy explained. “Although, maybe Jane would make a better lawyer’s wife. I have a hard time picturing you with anyone other than Ian.”

“So do I.”

Darcy was still struggling to accept the new reality that had been so suddenly thrust upon them all. She could not picture the life that Daisy was suggesting--one where she married a usurper just so he wouldn’t abandon her and her sister once their father passed. Maybe Darcy could make it on her own. As soon as they fully emerged from mourning, Jane would be happily married to Lord Odinson. She could pursue her scientific endeavors in her own laboratory. Darcy would be on her own.

She could do that. She could be independent. She could work as a secretary--she’d taken the typing classes. She would miss Weasay Abbey, but she wouldn’t have to marry a man she didn’t know and didn’t want. She could marry a middle-class lawyer that she loved or move in with Miss Romanoff and learn a few tricks from her. Darcy could do it on her own. After all, she would still have her dowry to live off of.

 _Well, Mr. Reid,_ she thought to herself. _I hope you don’t expect me to fall at your feet because that is the last thing that I will do._ She wanted nothing to do with him. Her mind was decided on that. Mr. Reid could rot in London for all she cared.

The thought brought the first genuine smile to her face since Ian died.

**Author's Note:**

> Don't forget to leave kudos if you like the story. Please tell me what you thought and if you want to see more. Thanks for reading! I'll try to update soon.


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